


Luce

by WickedSwan



Series: Look what I found [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brienne is the Best, Chance Meetings, F/M, First Meetings, Growing Up Together, Meet-Cute, POV Jaime Lannister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 03:30:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20221081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedSwan/pseuds/WickedSwan
Summary: "Jaime," she would say, "Jaime can you hear me?""Yes, yes I can," he would answer.And that would be the well-deserved happy ending of his awfully sad story, wouldn't it?"Jaime?"Oh, she was still calling. "Jaime, wake up. Wake up-“-now Jaime Lannister! Wake up, you dummy! I can’t carry you out of here on my own!”Wait. This was not a dream. This was definitely not his dream.Or, the one where thirteen year old Jaime Lannister is hurt and lost in a dark cave and eleven year old Brienne Tarth is here to save the day with her light.





	Luce

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> This is my first fanfic in a very long time and the first I've written in English.  
So, forgive me if there are any mistakes. This is not my first language but I wanted to try a new experience.
> 
> I have some ideas in my mind on how to continue this story but first let's see if someone wants to read the rest! 
> 
> Obviously, I was disappointed by the ending of season 8 and writing something nice and simple and - I hope - funny was my way of getting over the sadness..
> 
> Jaimexbrienne (Braime or JB or whatever you want to call it) has been my OTP for the last years and I've always loved to read AU fanfics where they meet as children..so, I decided to write one!
> 
> In my idea, almost all the characters live in King's Landing and the different Houses are simply the founding families of the town. 
> 
> This said, none of this characters belong to me. They're GRRM's characters and I hope he will give them their real ending sometime in the next 10 years.
> 
> I think I've already talked too much, I'll leave you to the story.
> 
> Please, review and comment, I appreciate constructive criticism and I'm here to learn!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Title stolen from Luce, a song by Elisa

** _7 August 1999 - Somewhere in the woods around King’s Landing_ **

Jaime was _ not _scared of the dark.

He was thirteen years old, not a tiny whiny baby. But more important, he was a Lannister. And, as father always said, Lannister weren’t scared of anything. 

So, Jaime was _ fine _.

Well, maybe not completely fine.

Maybe he was a bit angry with his sister. Maybe even more than a bit. 

After all,_ she_ had convinced him to go on this adventure, as she had called it. _She_ had asked him to be her knight in shining armor and protect her from the malicious beasts in the woods and all that medieval crap. _She_ was the one who had made him steal this old flashlight from their new gardener’s tool shed – thanks the gods he and his Goody Two-shoes daughter were already asleep in the guesthouse when he had broken in - and _she _was the one who had taken his hand to guide him to this stupid place. 

  
It had been _ her _ idea. He had just followed, as he always did.

For once, their father had a business meeting in some other town of Westeros - usually people came to him at the Casterly headquarters and not the other way around - and if they wanted to go on an adventure together, they knew they had to take advantage of this moment of freedom.

He had almost been excited, until they'd reached the end of a long boring walk in the woods and he had he found out they wouldn’t be alone in this.

When they had arrived at the place that was signed with an “X” on that sloppy map of hers - he should have _ suspected _ something because of that map 'cause she would have never come up with something like that on her own - they had been welcomed by the sight of not only that _ graceless pig _ Robert Baratheon and his hopeless crush Lyanna Stark but also the annoying _ little prince _ Rhaegar Targaryen. 

Rhaegar Targaryen, with his princely wavy hair, his princely violet eyes and his princely way of looking at everyone as if they bored him to death with their mere existence.  
Well, with the exception of one specific person.

But, after what his sister had done tonight, Jaime would not be the one to explain this _ tiny detail _ to her.

She would have to deal with it on her own and wouldn’t _ that _ be a not-to-be-missed moment.

Because of their similar age and status in town – as his father always said, _ Founding Houses still mean something in this otherwise crazy world _ – Jaime had been _ highly encouraged _ to spend time with the other noble children from a very young age, though he would have loved to stay home and play hide-and-seek with his little brother, instead of fake laughing at Bobby’s nasty jokes and half listening to Rhaegar’s latest silly poem. Or song. Whatever.

Cersei, on the other hand, seemed to feel completely at ease within this circle of clowns, even more at ease since Tyrion was still too young to take part in their outings.

So, it wasn’t certainly the first time he had had to share her with _ them _but it was the first time she had ditched him so carelessly and with no remorse whatsoever. 

Jaime didn’t like how it felt to be ditched. He didn’t like it _ one bit. _

And the more he thought about how he had ended up alone and _ lost _ in a freaking cave - a very big and very dark and probably dangerous cave -, the more he felt his blood boil with rage.

What was his sister thinking, following that arrogant know-it-all _ Rhaegar Targaryen _ instead of staying with him?

They were two parts of a whole, she always reminded him of that when they were alone, and now what? They’re in a cave with her new crush and they magically become two completely separate persons?

She just leaves _ him _ in the middle of nowhere with this crappy old stolen torch and goes on her adventure with _ Rhaegar _ and his brand new super-bright-LED flashlight? 

Jaime called _ bullshit _.

If she wanted to be alone with the princeling so much, then why did she have to wake _ him _ up in the first place?

After all, he could have used some more hours of sleep. He had a test tomorrow and he had managed going through _ most _ of the readings only because the topic was fascinating enough to keep his attention for a few hours, despite the fact that those stupid letters _ kept moving _. 

Yes, he should have stayed in bed.  
He should have _ definitely _stayed in bed.

While Jaime had been already regretting getting out of the house, his sister’s dream boy had kindly informed the other members of the party about the reason for the summoning. 

According to his grandfather (if you asked Jaime, not as crazy as Rhaegar's father - but still not _completely _fine in the head) a non specified _dragon treasure_ had been hidden in the cave by some ancient Targaryen knight and only the chosen one – oh, the irony, a _Prince_ _that was promised, really?_ – could find it and bring it back to the light of day.

And Rhaegar was _ obviously _ the chosen one.

So, Jaime had been designated by the new _Indiana Jones_ _reborn_ as one of the two valiant knights who would help him in this quest and Cersei and Lyanna had been their two guides, burdened with the task of bringing the summoned knights towards their destiny. 

Again, Jaime called _ bullshit _.

And he and Robert were_ fools. _

Really, he was already fed up by all this madness even before they had entered the cave. The only thought that had kept him quiet was that, at least, he would spend time with his sister.

But surely, the sooner they got it done, the better.

At first, entering the cave hadn’t seemed such a big deal.  
They had three flashlights, one for him and Cersei, one for Robert and Lyanna and one for Rhaegar. The _ Prince _ had also brought a very long rope that he had tied at the entrance to be able to find the way out. What a clever boy.

Jaime had been sure they would have entered a few cavities and hidden passages and, with no results, they would’ve soon gotten tired of this little adventure, abandoning the idea in order to go back home for the night. 

And it would have gone like this, if Jaime hadn't underestimated the Targaryen’s infamous stubbornness.

Problems had started to raise when, after one too many empty cavities and a complete lack of clues, Rhaegar’s conviction hadn’t seemed to fade at all. It had been growing instead, fed by his belief in being the only one who could succeed in this mission.

“Shouldn’t we go back? I’m hungry," had protested Bobby, after the umpteenth dead end.

For once, Jaime had agreed with him. This thing they were doing was not only incredibly stupid, but also completely useless. 

But, obviously, _ The Prince _ had been so focused on finding _ his _ treasure that he hadn’t even heard Bobby’s suggestion. 

And Jaime had had enough.

“We don’t even know _what_ _exactly_ we’re looking for, Rhaeg. Wouldn’t it be better to come again during the day?” _Wouldn’t it be better not to come ever again? H_ad thought Jaime, trying to convince the guy to _give up _already._ “_You could go ask your granddad some more details about the..._thing_ and then come back. This doesn’t really seem to go anywhere and I bet the girls are really tired at this point."

His proposal had been _ reasonable _ .  
It was who knows what time in the night and he had seen his sister hiding more than one yawn in the last ten minutes. He was sure she, at least, would have backed him up on this.

“Thank you for your care, brother. But I’m completely fine," she had said, instead.

So, his hopes and dreams had been crushed by the very person he had considered an assured ally. 

“If Rhaeg says there is a treasure, then there is a treasure. And we must find it. If you’re tired you can go back and bring Robert and poor Lyanna with you. He’s hungry and _ she _ seems a little too pale to continue this adventure,” she added, with a mischievous grin.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t as unaware of Rhaeg’s _ desires _ as Jaime had thought.  
But this only aggravated the problem of spending the whole night in that stupid cave.

Obviously his sister's proposal had started a not so civil fight between the two girls, who had accused each other of being too weak to go on in this _ very important quest _ , while trying to impress that stupid Targaryen by proving their worth in becoming his...s _ omething. _

  
And while Jaime had simply been annoyed by this useless confrontation - one, Rhaegar seemed very set on his interest in _ one girl only _ and two, at the moment he had been so taken by his task that he hadn't even been able to _ hear _ anything at all – Bobby had seemed to catch up only then on the one thing Jaime had been sure of for the last three months.

His crush on Lyanna had been a lost battle all along.

His reaction had been in line with his character.  
He had grunted one or two insults under his breath – probably directed at Rhaegar - and, after declaring with his typical finesse that they had all been following the tales of an old mad man, he had left them there, taking away not only his flashlight but also Jaime's hopes to end the pointless mission at a decent hour of the night.

He had stormed away, muttering things like “_It’s not worth it” _ and “ _ I can have thousands of women, who cares about her_” until none of them had been able to hear him anymore. 

_ So. This is the sound of a broken heart _ , had thought Jaime. _ Silence. _

In hindsight, Bobby had surely had the best idea of the whole night. He had left while they were still relatively near the entrance and Jaime could easily imagine him a few hours later, in bed, with the company of a shit ton of chips, one of his magazines and crumbs spread all over the blanket. 

Jaime hadn’t been as lucky. 

He had persisted in staying because even if his sister had been a _ witch _ he surely couldn’t leave her alone in a cave with that mad Targaryen boy and his _ almost _ girlfriend, could he? 

After all, he was still her knight in shining armor.

So, he had stayed. And they had continued entering new tunnels and discovering cavities, all of them unsurprisingly empty.  
At that point he had been resigned to a long and boring night of nothingness and a very bad grade in the next day’s test, but nothing that couldn't be forgotten with an evening of chocolate and videogames. 

Then, the disaster had happened.

Their flashlight. The old, crappy, useless flashlight that he had stolen with so much regard had started to falter. 

At first it had been shutting down only once in a while but the more they had ventured inside the cave the worse it had gotten. 

At one point his sister had easily decided that leaving him and his crappy light in favour of Rhaeg’s new one was the winning choice and he had found himself alone and falling behind, stumbling and stopping every time his flashlight decided to interrupt their collaboration. 

Rhaegar was relentless: he had not wavered, he had not waited. His sister hadn’t either. She and Lyanna were still playing their little game of jealousy and Jaime had been too proud and wounded to even _ try _ asking for help.  
But no one - especially not Jaime - had seen the pointed rock that was dangerously waiting for him a few meters away.

One moment of distraction had been enough.

Once more, his light had stopped working and he had been too busy trying to light it up to perceive the danger. 

He couldn’t tell how it had happened, only that one moment he had been arguing with his stupid torch and the next he was facing the ceiling with his head on the floor and one hand wrapped around a pulsing ankle.

  
A pulsing ankle that hurt _ like hell _.

“For the gods, what happened?” had asked a familiar voice near him. 

Awesome. _ Now _ his sister had been reminded of his existence. It had only taken a broken leg and a probable concussion to get her to come back. Not a high price _ at all _.

“Why are you so clumsy, Jaime? Have you hurt yourself?” 

Wait. _ This _ was his sister. 

He had turned his head towards the second voice only to find her on her feet, still too far away for his taste.

_Why wasn’t she next to him? Why was she still standing next to Rhaegar? _

“Ehy, that was not my fault! It was this stupid torch!” he had tried to reason, waving the unuseful flashlight in the air, even though the world was still spinning too quickly around him.

“I think you tripped on that rock, Jaime," had said Lyanna, revealing herself ad the one kneeling next to him. 

She was pointing at something and he was trying to find in himself the strength to move his head and look. 

"I don't know how no one of us has seen it while passing, it's pretty big. We could have warned you but It's like it wasn't even there five seconds ago!" 

He followed her line of vision - even though too many things were dancing around them - and there it was, the culprit of the crime. 

A weirdly shaped rock, hidden by the shadows and probably put there by the gods themselves, in order to punish the ones who were fool enough to enter this stupid cave.

It _ was _ pretty big. 

Rhaegar had probably seen it and hadn't said anything. 

Maybe this had been his plan all along: to hurt him so that he could win their next football game. 

_ He really could not stand the guy. _

"Can you move your leg? Do you think it's broken?” had been asking the Stark girl, surprisingly worried about him.

  
_ Lyanna Stark _ , who would have thought she and not _ his own sister _ would be the most caring in a situation like this.

To be fair, pusher by his pride, he had tried to stand up and dissimulate this embarrassing moment but he'd soon been forced to admit defeat and settle for an easier sitting position.  
The world had _ really _ been spinning too quickly and his ankle...better not think about his ankle.

Finally, Cersei had come closer and together with Lyanna had helped him crawl to the nearest wall, so that he could lean his back on it.

His traitorous flashlight _ still _ hadn’t come back to life.

“Jaime, I really think you need a doct-” started saying Lyanna, before being interrupted by his sister.

“Nonsense. He will be up in a few minutes," she had said, fiercely. "I know my brother, he loves to complain but in the end he always manages to resolve his problems. He’s a Lannister, he’s strong enough. We’ll just wait a few minutes and he will be okay."

She had used the tone she always used when talking about him. The one that was a mixture of pride and annoyance and fondness and maybe envy and that made his brain inexplicably warm and fuzzy. 

  
_ That’s why I can never say no to her _ , he had thought, _ because in the end we’re always there for each other. _

_ Yeah. As if. _

“She's right, I’m fine. Give me five minutes. I think I’ve twisted my ankle but it won’t be a problem,” he conforme then, since his head had seemingly stopped spinning and his ankle felt a little better. Probably, it wasn't even broken. 

“Fine. Five minutes. Then if you can’t walk we’re going on without you, there are still many cavities I want to search tonight,” had announced Rhaegar, as if he was making a great concession.

He had chosen a _ fantastic _ way to break the silence spell he was under.

“What do you mean, without me?”

Jaime was angry and confused and even Cersei had seemed irritated by this turn of events.

“Well, you said it yourself, you’re fine. You’re obviously not concussed and if you can’t walk right now we could just come back for you before leaving the cave. _ After _ we find the treasure,” had explained Rhaegar, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“No no, I can walk,” had said Jaime, trying again to stand up without help.

The problem was...he really couldn’t.

The pain had spiked as soon as he had tried to lean on his ankle, fogging his head for several moments and forcing him to seat back on the ground with a moan. 

Cersei had sent him a very disappointed look, as if he had just betrayed her in the worst way possible and then she had proceeded to distance herself from him, going to stand next to Rhaegar with a blank face. 

“Okay, I guess we’re doing it my way,” bad concluded_ the Prince, _already preparing himself to continue the exploration. 

He had taken Jaime’s torch and tried to switch it on. Obviously, it had worked at the first try. 

He had tossed it to Jaime, with a satisfied expression and the most irritating smile.

Gods, Jaime _ hated _that boy. 

“Do you really expect me and Cersei to wait here for who knows how long while you and Wolfy here go play Indiana Jones in this freaking cave?” had asked Jaime again, completely fed up by the endless night.

In the seconds of silence that had followed, he had had the time to understand three things: Rhaegar was really going to leave him there until his need to find that stupid treasure would be satisfied, Lyanna would go with him because _ reasons - _ he really couldn’t blame her for it, since those were the things one did for love - and Cersei...had suspiciously said _ nothing _ at all.

A scaring suspicion had made him look at her and what he had found was a conflicted, guilty expression. As if she had been making up her mind on something and was trying to find the way to say it. 

He hadn’t liked this expression on her.  
He hadn’t liked it _ at all _.

“I think I should go with them, Jaime,” she had whispered in the end.

“What?” 

Surely, he had misunderstood.

“I think I should go with them,” she had repeated, more clearly. “Three people for a job are always better than two. If I go with them we’ll find the treasure and we’ll be able to come back to you sooner”.

He had been stunned to silence. 

She was leaving him. She was leaving him to go with her stupid crush who was _ in love _ with someone else.

He had been ready to complain, ready to spill his sister's secret love and ruin her night the same way she had ruined his, when suddenly she had been next to him in the act of giving him a hug.

"Please Jaime. This could be my moment. I can't leave him alone with _ her _. You know I can't," she had whispered in his ear, confirming that, in fact, she knew about Rhaegar's crush on the Stark girl. "We'll be back before you know it. And I will owe you one. You can ask for anything and I will repay you as best as I can. Just, please, don't say anything and let me go."

Yeah, _ as if _ he would've been able to stop her.

As if he would _ ever _ be able to stop her.

She was too smart for her own good and too used to get anything she wanted from him.

And he had been fool enough to stay silent while the three of them had left, to finish their exploration without him.

"Don't worry brother, we'll be back in a minute!" had exclaimed Cersei, when their silhouettes had already been invisible for him and his crappy flashlight.

So, Jaime was a fool and his sister was a witch, his ankle was swelling _ big time _ and the flashlight had started being funny again the moment Rhaegar had left. 

Maybe it was in love with him to. It wouldn't be a novelty.

**********************************************

  
Jaime was, in fact _ pissed _.

Many hours had passed - or, well, _ many minutes at least _ \- and, since the flashlight had again left him in complete darkness, he was now almost resigned to a long-term stay in the gloomy cavern. 

He was tired, he was hot but at least the world had stopped spinning. 

Maybe it was because he couldn't _ see _ anything.

He could however imagine himself vividly, cripple for life, roaming the tunnels of the enormous cave in his shredded and dirty clothes, howling like a wounded animal and feeding only on what would happen to lose itself inside this maze. 

He would regret the decisions of that night for the rest of his lonely days, blaming himself for being too proud to give up when he should have and the gods for punishing him for the delusions of someone else.

Nobody would ever come.

He would die alone in this stupid cave, after a life sentence for stealing this useless flashlight and leaving home without permission. 

Maybe after his premature death, his ghost would haunt the creepy place, scaring anyone who'd try to enter with the only purpose of saving them from the same fate - and _ not at all _ to laugh at their back as a pastime.

With all this day-dreaming, his eyes were becoming heavier and heavier and the idea of closing them for a while - _ what good could they do in this darkness anyway? _ \- seemed more attractive with every passing minute.  
So, he decided to rest them for a bit, since he was sure he would _ never _fall asleep after all the excitement of the night.

New hopeful images formed behind his tired eyelids: images of a better future where, many years later, a strong-willed stubborn explorer would enter the haunted cave against everyone else's advice and would finally rescue him.

Maybe, after recognizing his older face under an unkempt beard and long hair, his saviour would finally bring him home to bail him out of a lifetime of madness and solitude. 

And yes, maybe that someone would have to re-teach him how to talk - since he already was shit at reading and writing he knew _ that _ wouldn't be a great loss - and maybe his teeth wouldn’t be as white as they were now and his body would be deformed and sick and pale after years in this darkness but she would be able to see beyond the façade and fall for his savage-self just like Jane had fallen for Tarzan in that new Disney film.

She would save him in all the ways a person could be saved.

He could envision her: tall, strong and blonde - he had a weakness for blondes, everyone knew _ that _. 

She would help him out, carrying him if necessary, trying to understand his mumbling and not even a bit fazed by his awful smell and dirty hair.  
He could almost see her face, her eyes, her concentrated expression. He could feel her warm hands on his face, combing his beard and erasing the years of despair with just one touch.

She would speak to him in a gentle voice, calling his name and reminding him of his long forgotten past. 

_Jaime _ she would say, _ Jaime can you hear me? _  
_ Yes, yes I can _, he would answer. 

And that would be the well-deserved happy ending of his awfully sad story, wouldn't it?

_Jaime? _ Oh, she was still calling. _ Jaime, wake up. Wake up-_

“-now Jaime Lannister! Wake up, you dummy! I can’t carry you out of here on my own!” 

Wait. This was not a dream. And this was definitely not _his_ dream. 

The voice wasn’t deep enough to match the one of his fantasy and the hands that were shaking him with so little regard _ surely _ couldn’t belong to the saviour he was waiting for. 

She would be gentle and calm, not at all like this disrespectful earthquake.

_What the heck was happening?_

He sprang his eyes open but a blinding light pointed at his face forced him to immediately close them again. 

“Turn it off! Turn it off, it hurts!” he complained, hoping that whoever was torturing him would be moved to pity by his nightmarish situation.

  
“And if I turn it off how are we supposed to get out of here? Do we follow the sound of freedom?” said the unmistakable voice of a child. 

A very _ petulant _ child.

“Well, at least move it away from my face, will you?” asked Jaime again, increasingly irritated but even more curious to know who was this _ child _ and how had she found him. 

  
_ Could she be a spirit of nature? Aren't there spirits of the forest or something like that? _

_  
_Tyrion had always been fixated on those mythological things and Jaime had had to endure many hours of listening to the different myths and legends linked to the woods around King’s Landing, so he considered himself almost an expert in the field. 

Truthfully, he had always imagined them as graceful and _ silent _ creatures but it’s not as if there were videos of them. He couldn't have known better.

Finally, the light was moved from his face and he was able to open his eyes with no risk of becoming blind.

This time, he opened them very slowly, terrified that the child-spirit would change his mind at any moment, if only to irritate him. 

See? he _ was _ an expert of fairies. They were spiteful creatures and not to be trusted. 

_ Maybe his sister was one of them. _

But what he saw, once his eyes started to get used to the atmosphere, took his breath away for a moment. 

She was a spirit, yes, but surely a _ water _one.

Two pools of deep clear blue water were watching him, bright and lively even in the dim light of the cave. 

They were frowning in concentration, as if trying to see every single detail of his face at the same time. 

_ Magnificent eyes, indeed. _

And the more he got used to the light, the more he could distinguish the other features that belonged to the child-spirit’s face.

A recently broken _ and _ mended nose led the way to the fullest and widest mouth he had ever seen on a little girl; thousands of freckles decorated the pale skin of her round face and a shock of wild straw-like hair created a cascade of short curls on her forehead. 

Everything - from her furrowed pale brows and bright eyes to the contrast that her pale hair created with the yellow light - contributed to the fairy-appearance of her traits.  
Not a _ pretty _ spirit certainly but a spirit nonetheless. 

_Was this the final punishment of the gods? _

_A weirdly endearing creature who'd torment him for ever with sudden lights and tiny sweaty hands?_

_ It seemed a bit too much for a little trespassing. _

“Have you knocked your head on the ground? Why are you staring at me like that? You’re not fainting again, are you?” asked the little child-spirit - he really needed to find a better name for the girl, this was not _ specific _ enough - while standing up, showing how tall she really was. 

There could not be that many girls as tall as her, could there? He knew only another little girl who was this _ big _ and it was that sullen childish...

_That’s _ when Jaime’s tired brain finally put the pieces together.

“You’re the gardener’s daughter!” he exclaimed, in surprised excitement, “what are you doing here?” _ Wasn’t she like ten years old? How had she managed to get there? And why wasn’t she at home in her bed? _

She regarded him with undisclosed contempt, as if she couldn’t understand why he was losing time with unimportant questions.

“Well, yes. I’ve been my father’s daughter all my life. And to answer your question, I’m here because _ you _ have _ stolen _ my dad’s flashlight and I wanted to get it back."

Oh, _ that _.

Maybe he hadn’t been as _ stealthy _ as he had thought. 

But at least he had gained a rescue out of it.

“Yeah, this wonderful flashlight,” he answered, showing her the filthy traitor, “you can have it back as soon as you wish. But, in my humble opinion, it belongs in the _ trash_."

“The last time I came here it worked fine! I think _ you _ broke it and I don't need the opinion of a thief,” she said, in a reproachful tone.

The last time she was here? _ What did it mean? _

“First, I'm not a thief. I've just borrowed it and I would have put it back as soon as-" 

"Yeah you would have put it back broken, _ thief,"_ she interrupted him, crossing her arms.

"Still not a thief. And I didn't break the flashlight. _ It _ broke _ me_!" he protested, pointing at his ankle. 

She narrowed her eyes at his swollen ankle and he took advantage of this lack of comeback to ask what he really wanted to ask. 

They would have time to debate about the stupid flashlight once they were out of there. 

"So you were here before? But how did you know how to find me?” 

He was curious. How could a little girl be able to walk around on her own in the woods _ and _ in this cave? How hadn’t she lost herself before?

“Well, I followed you," she answered his second question, matter-of-factly. "I saw you stealing my dad’s flashlight and I knew I had to see where you were bringing it. Then you and your sister and those other kids entered the cave so I decided to wait outside”.

She was saying it as if it was a normal thing to do for a child. And he was sure it was _ not._

His sister would have never done something so weirdly brave on her own. Heck, _ he _ would have never done something like this at ten years old.

“Wow. Okay. That makes sense." _But did it, really? _ “But I was actually more interested in the part where you said you’ve already been inside this cave? So, you know where we are? Can you help me out of here?” 

Screw his sister and her promises. He wanted to leave _ now _. Even with a ten-year-old child who called him thief.

He was trying to steer the conversation where he wanted it to go, even though he had a feeling that this..._ Kelpie _would never do anything she didn’t want to do.

_Kelpie._ That’s the nickname he was looking for. It was perfect for her, she even had the features of a Kelpie, with that wide mouth and crooked teeth. They usually presented themselves as horses or human _ boys _ but he didn't care, he had made his decision.

He would have to thank Tyrion for his lessons on water spirits one day.

“-so obviously I know where we are," she was saying, "and I know how to get out of here. I've found you, haven't I?" 

He smirked at her grumpiness. _ She was a menace, wasn't she? _

"Okay, we get it, you're the expert. But how? Aren't you like ten years old?" he asked, unable to keep his questions for himself.

"I'm _ eleven. _And I’ve had enough time in the last month to explore the woods," she said, "I didn't know anyone and you kids are not friendly at all. So I just decided to get to know the place. I came across the cave some weeks ago and I’ve been coming here a lot. That’s how I knew how to get to you. I saw all the others get out a while ago, but you were still inside with my dad’s flashlight and I decided to come in,” she finished, unaware of the _ bomb _ she had just unleashed.

“The others got out? What do you mean the others _ got out _ ? Did you see my sister leave, _ little Kelpie?_" he asked, fearing what the answer would be.

“No they haven't _ left_. They're outside deciding on who should come inside to get you but- wait, _ how did you just call me_?” she asked, confused by his nickname. 

He had said it outloud, hadn’t he? This would be a problem. But at least his sister hadn't completely forgotten about him. 

What a victory. 

His focus went back on the kelpie-girl. 

She was standing in front of him, hands on her hips and the expression of a warrior ready for a fight. The redness of her cheeks was emphasised by what was probably her nightgown - a _ very pink _ and _ very long _nightgown - that sported the picture of that redhead Mermaid his sister had been obsessed with some years prior. 

(In all honesty, it was _ him _ who had been obsessed and not his sister but _ hey, the songs were catchy and the dances were easy to learn _).

He couldn't help but snort at his own thoughts.

The night was becoming more and more absurd and he was obviously losing his mind.

But he still had to answer her question.

“_Kelpie._ It's the name of some horse spirit who lives in the water. I think it’s perfect for you, don't you agree? With your big mouth and your messy hair and all the... _ wilderness."_

He was grumpy and tired and his ankle was killing him. He would make fun of her if he wanted to. At least _ a little_.

  
At his explanation she got a furious expression on her spirit-like face and he found that he quite liked to see her angry.

Her redness made the freckles stand out even more and her eyes were becoming even bluer with rage. 

It was a fun show and Jaime found himself hoping it would never end - an absurd night, indeed - but sadly, she didn’t seem inclined to agree with him.  
She took her own working flashlight and put some distance between them, stomping her feet on the ground as if she couldn’t wait to leave. 

"You can't call me that! It doesn't even make sense!" she protested.

"Well you've been calling me a _ thief _ since you woke me up. I think it's just fair that I call you something in return," he said, calmly. 

_ She _ had started this calling each other names thing.

"I've called you a thief because you _ stole _ and _ broke _ our flashlight! You've called me Kelpie only because you're mean!" she answered, not calmly _ at all _.

"Well if you had just _ believed _ me instead of jumping to conclusion, you would know I'm not a thief and that your flashlight was already crap before this stupid night had even started!" 

He had finally lost his temper.

How could she be so _ stubborn _?

“From the first time I saw you with your sister and you didn’t even _ try _ to come and say hi I knew you were just another _ stupid boy,_" she said, in an angry tone. “But now that I’ve actually talked to you I know you’re also _ annoying _ . And a thief! And you think you’re _ funny _ but you’re not. And I will gladly leave you here with your _ stolen flashlight _ until someone else finds you!” she finished, before turning around and starting to leave, bringing her light - _ the only working light _\- with her.

No, that would not do at all.

He was angry at her but he knew that if he waited for _ Rhaegar _ and his rope to come back he would surely stay inside another day at least.

“No wait! Ke-_ girl _ , wait!” He tried to stand up and go after her but his ankle was _ not collaborating _ and he _ knew _ he could only stop her with words. “Stay, please! I’m sorry, okay?" he tried. 

She turned around, waiting. She would make him _ beg _, he knew it.

"I’m sorry. I’m tired and angry but not at you. Please, forgive me. I don’t think I can leave this cave without your help. I _ need _ you." 

So, he was begging _ and _ asking for forgiveness. This was not a night to _ remember. _

But he knew she was his only hope to come out of this cave before his father found out the truth in the morning.  
She had to help him.  
He _ needed _ her to help him.

Thankfully, she didn't leave on the spot.  
She looked at him as if deciding if he was worth it and he could only remain silent, waiting for her to _ do _ something. 

_ Scream, cry, punch me in the face but stay little Kelpie, please. _

After too many seconds and one deep breath, she walked towards him with a new resolution on her face.

“Okay. I will help you. But only because it’s the right thing to do and because _ maybe _ I should give you a way to prove yourself” she admitted, kneeling next to him to inspect his ankle. “And I have a name, I would prefer you _ used _ it."

She ripped off a piece of fabric from her dress and started wrapping it around his ankle. 

“Well-_ ow _, be careful!" His first attempt at engaging her semi-friendly conversation was interrupted by a particularly strong tug from her but, as he was readying himself to complain, she silenced him with a glare. 

Better let it go and resume his attempt at politeness.

"As I was saying before being _attacked_ by your gentle hands,” - he needed to add just a _little bit_ of venom, he had a reputation to live up to _\- _“yes, I _would _call you by your name_ if _I knew it. But I don't because you didn't introduce yours-” 

“Brienne,” she interrupted him with her custom glare and another tug on his ankle. "My name is Brienne Tarth. Now you know it. Use it."

_Oh little Kelpie. Such a stubborn child. _

_I will have great fun with you _, thought Jaime.

“Well, nice to meet you Brienne. Name’s Jaime. Jaime Lannister. But I guess you already knew. And, you know, the same goes for you. No more _ thief _ from now on. Only Jaime,” he said, reaching out his right hand to shake hers as _ adults _ did.

She squinted her eyes, not trusting him completely, before shaking his pinky with hers in an apparently childish gesture. 

At first he was confused by the strange greeting - _ and what was not confusing about this girl? _ \- but then he remembered that the pulsing pain in his ankle wasn’t the only place where he had been hurt by the fall.  
She had seen the blood on his hand and she had deliberately shaken the only part of it that seemed to be unaffected, his _ little finger._

W_asn’t she something. _

“Well, everyone in this town knows who you are. And, I mean, I live in your garden so it's normal that I already knew your name."

She was red again, but this time the cause was embarrassment and not anger.

_ She is shy, _ he realised _ . _

"However, nice to meet you _ Jaime. _ Now promise you will never call me by the name of a _ river horse _ again," she finished, interrupting his musing and finally freeing his pinky. 

  
Wait, how long had he been staring at her blush? If he kept losing time like this he risked falling asleep without even noticing.

"I promise."

She finished wrapping his ankle up and he had to admit she had done a pretty good job for a child. His ankle felt protected and maybe he could really get out of that stupid cave on his own legs. 

She looked at him, with the honest expression he already considered typical of her and she started biting her lips, in a nervous gesture that could mean everything or nothing. 

Was she going to ask something? 

"What is it, B_rienne?_" he prompted, using her name for the first time.

"You're right, I shouldn't have called you a thief before knowing the whole story. So...tell me?" she finally asked, with an even more flushed face and an almost invisible shy smile. 

Even with all her weird skills, she was still a child. And she was curious.

“Okay, your curiosity will be satisfied my Lady.” _ My lady? What had this come from? _ "And at the end of my story, I'm sure you won't feel the need to call me a thief ever again."

Her smile was a little bit wider and he thought that, maybe, they were really getting somewhere.

"But first help me up and let’s get out of this awful place before I start growing a beard,,” he finished, making grabby hands at her and finally getting the real, wide smile he was waiting for.

A very_ nice _ smile.  
  
Brienne helped him stand up and he put his arm on her shoulders. He relished at the fact that she was still shorter than him even if only by a few inches.

Once he was sure that his ankle wasn’t going to fail him again they started walking towards what he _ hoped _ would be the exit. 

He found that somehow...he _ trusted her _.

She _ would _ get him out.

  
For a moment he thought about the funny picture they made: a little blond girl in her pink nightgown supporting the limping form of a frustrated teenager, both of them dirty and smelly after the adventures of the night.

He released an airy laugh, succeeded by a moan due to his poor ankle and Brienne instinctively gripped his waste harder, to keep him standing.  
He would have to buy her a gift after that damned night ended. She deserved it.

When they left the chamber where he'd been for the last few hours, no one of them thought to look under the weird pointy rock.

That night, they left a treasure in the cave. 

But, as they would discover much later, they found something much more important.

*******************************************************

“Okay,” she started after some minutes of walking in silence “I've been saving you for a while now. Can you tell me what happened?”

  
He would Soon learn that even though the little Kelpie was shy, her stubbornness would always help her get anything she wanted. 

Jaime had thought about giving a quick, objective summary of the wonderful evening but now that she had _ asked him _ about it - instead of just _ assuming _ like she had done before - his tiredness and gratefulness prompted him to simply _ open the floods ._

“What happened is that stupid ass. _ Rhaegar Targaryen,"_ he started, waving his hand in the air like a mad man. “It’s all his fault. Well, his and my sister’s. With all the boys she could fall for, she had to choose that pompous _ ass _ . You should have seen her, with that dreamy expression. _ Oh, Jaime,” _ he quoted, trying this voice higher and copy his sister’s tone _ “have you seen his eyes? They’re violet! Oh Jaime, did you know he writes songs? Oh Jaime, he’s so handsome with those wavy hair and that beautiful smile! _ I mean, I'm handsome Brienne, everyone says that. He's just...pretty! And his songs are _ so bad. _ Who writes songs without a chorus? And now he thinks he's some Prince who was promised and that we have to help him find a secret treasure! I broke my leg because of his stupid inexistent _ Dragon something _ and he- _ ” _

And Jaime would have gone on with his ranting if a sudden laugh hadn't interrupted it. A very loud and very unexpected bark of laughter.

Startled, he stopped in his tracks and turned his head towards the sound. 

Brienne was still gripping his side with one hand but in that moment it was for her own need to stay standing and not the other way around. 

The girl laughed with her _ whole _ body.

She was trying and failing miserably at covering her mouth, while loud and funny sounds kept coming out of it. 

Her eyes were almost shut but their blue shined even more through the blond eyelashes, wet and shimmering from the inevitable tears.

At one point she admitted defeat and let her hand fall on her belly, showing off an open and sincere smile, made even more endearing by her crooked teeth and scrunched nose.

Many years later Jaime would think of this as the moment he had started falling in love with Brienne Tarth. 

In that moment he only chuckled with her, thinking that that kind of laughter - warm, messy and _ so _ endearing - would have been too much coming from any other girl but felt almost perfect coming from her.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked after a while, faking irritation.

"I'm- sorry. Really- really sorry. Jaime," she answered while still catching her breath. "I didn't mean to laugh but didn't you hear yourself? It's really been an awful night for you but you sound so _ vain _! And a little bit envious! And that bit where you tried to talk like your sister, I-" and she went on snickering.

"Envious? Of Rhaegar? And how am _ I _ vain? Have you missed all that I've just said about him? The Dragon treasure, him being the chosen Prince and all that crap?" he asked, bewildered.

"Come on! With all that _ I'm handsome, he's just pretty _ stuff! I really can't believe you said that! I'm taking back that thing about you not being funny, you are hilarious!" She went on chuckling.

"Why? What's wrong with what I've said? It's the truth! And he's a complete windbag, let me tell you. If you just talked to him _ once _ you would know that I'm right." 

"Well, _ you're _ definitely a windbag and if he's even a little bit like you, I think I've already enough of that in my hands with you," she answered. 

He looked at her with a serious expression.

"He's not like me, Brienne. Remember. There's no one else like me. Only me."

She looked at him, surprised for a moment by his sudden seriousness. Their eyes focused on each other as if they were exchanging secrets.

But it lasted only a few seconds before she broke the tension scoffing another laughter.

"You're right. Maybe you're not a windbag. Maybe you're just very silly Jaime. Come on, let's go before the sun comes up and my dad realises I've been out all night," she said, starting again their slow path towards the exit. "And don't make that face, you _ are _ silly! Accusing him of being _ pretty _ when you're exactly the same and _ then _ going on about how no one else is like you!" 

"Are you mocking me? I am different from him and I will show you. _ And _ I am _ not _pretty, take it back now!" he roared, offended. 

Pretty. He would show her pretty.

She regarded him with a critical eyes, still pushing him by the waist.

"Blond curls, green eyes, straight nose," she listed, "yes you _ are _ pretty, deal with it. And look, we're there," she finished, pointing at something with her hand. 

Jaime followed the movement with his eyes and- _ hey, that was the outside world! _

In a second he forgot both that he was hurt and that he was angry at Brienne for calling him pretty and with a swift movement he hugged her, too happy to remain calm.

"We made it little Kelpie! _ You _ made it!" he exclaimed, releasing the girl after only a few seconds.

She was redder that he had ever seen her and her expression a mixture of annoyed, proud and embarrassed and-

"You said you wouldn't call me like that again! You promised!" she protested, angrily.

She was right. He had promised. And he would keep his promise.

But he still had to have fun, didn't he?

"I'm sorry Brienne. You're right. But you just called me pretty and after that I need to call giù something, don't I? Isn't it the rule?" he asked, as if giving her a nickname was someway in his rights. 

She looked at him sideways, again wary of him and probably not understanding what he was saying.

Not for the first time he wondered if maybe he wasn't the only one with no real friends in that cave.

"I mean," he tried to explain, suddenly insecure "friends give each other nicknames, don't they? And I'd like to be your friend Brienne Tarth, if you'll have me." 

And as he was asking this he found out that _ yes _, he wanted her to be his friend.

He wanted it _ very much_.

She looked at him with those big honest eyes for a few moments, and he felt like she was making sure of something.

In the end, she released a breath shaking her head.

"You're a menace Jaime Lannister," she declared. "And I know I will regret this for a long time. But yes, I guess we can try being friends."

At this, he started smiling his satisfied smile and she immediately pointed her forefinger to his chest: "but the first time we see each other and you don't say _ hi _ to me, I'm gonna punch you in the face. Got it?" she promised, calmly.

"Got it," he answered, amused by her threat and glad that they had reached a compromise.

"Now let's get out of here Lannister, before I change my mind and leave you in this cave another day or two," she concluded, embracing again his waste with her hand - _ was it gentler than before? _\- while he laughed at her joke and thought that this would be the beginning of a great friendship.

**********************************************

Extract from an omniscient viewer (or the gods, if you prefer)

_ "So, now that we're friends, can I call you Kelpie?"_

_ "No, Jaime. You can't."_

_ "Please?" _

_ "No."_

_ "Pretty please?" _

_ "No!!" _

That's what the others heard when they finally exited the cave.

Everyone looked at Brienne as if she had appeared from nowhere in a cloud of smoke but none of them commented on her peculiar appearance, ready as they were to go back home and thankful that they wouldn't have to re-enter the cave to get Jaime.

Only Lyanna Stark thanked her for the help. Cersei only nodded at her and that was enough of a thank you from someone who had never thanked anyone but her twin in her life. 

That didn't mean they would be friends. Not for years. Not ever, maybe.

She ran to her twin with a worried expression on her face. Expression that, for once, was probably real. 

She hugged him but he didn't hug her back. He was angry with her and, this time, almost three weeks would pass before he would forgive her. 

He didn't collect his debt until years later.

They all arrived back at their respective homes short before sunrise and, fortunately, none of them were caught. The Lannister twins and Brienne had little Tyrion to thank for that. 

Only two of them did. 

And that's the story of how Brienne Tarth met Tyrion Lannister.

Rhaegar moped for days about the long lost treasure and the failure of their mission. Sick and tired of his obsession, Lyanna took soon the matter in hand and kissed him. 

After their first kiss, it was as if the treasure had never even existed.

Lyanna would be smug about that for a very long time. 

Brienne and Jaime - or Jaime and Brienne as _ he _ insisted to say - developed a sort of unexpected mutual respect from then on. Or, well, that's what _ they _ would call it.

If you asked anyone else, they'd tell you that those two were the weirdest, most oblivious and frustrating-to-be-around best friends they had ever met.

Some days after their adventure in the cave, Brienne finally got the whole story of that night and decided that maybe she shouldn't have called Jaime a thief. And receiving a new Little Mermaid flashlight as a thank you for her help from a very embarrassed Jaime surely helped in changing her opinion.

From that moment, Jaime would always say _ hi _ first. Brienne would help him with his readings and writing exercises. Together they would find out about his dyslexia.

Sometimes he would call her _ Kelpie _ and she would call him _ Pretty _. They would play knights in the woods with wooden sticks and then talk for hours about everything and nothing. They would spend the last years of childhood together and help each other out in many situations. 

There were no spoken promises between them. They just knew they would always _be_ _there_. Nothing to add.

And all this, even if they insisted in telling everyone that they could barely stand each other. 

Tyrion still laughed at their idiocy years later, when they eventually realised what he'd known all along and finally did something _ right _.

Selwyn soon showed Jaime what having a father really meant. 

Tywin probably didn't care to know Brienne's name until he found it in front of his eyes years later, while looking for his own in the Author's acknowledgements of his son's first Best Seller. 

A Best Seller he had published using his wife's surname.

From then on, he couldn't forget it if he tried.

> **Author's Note:**

> So...  
Do you want me to continue?
> 
> :D


End file.
